Silver
by SilverSparrow13
Summary: (Between Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix): Silver Nevara has been at Xavier's school for 5 years, ever since she ran away from her abusive father at 11. Charles was the one that helped her accustom to her new blindness and control her power. But her father's abuse isn't as far away from her as she thought. Warning: Contains language and themes of child abuse
1. Chapter 1

"Silver! Jet in three minutes!"

The familiar voice shattered her sleep, sending her tumbling from her desk chair and crashing to the ground.

"Silver? You good?" Scott shouted again.

"Yeah, I'm fine! I'll meet you at the jet!" Silver called as she stood up, feeling the desk's corners to get her bearings. Her hands followed the familiar path to the suit in her closet and she pulled it on. She grabbed the backpack from her door and ran out into the hallway after Scott. It was the same backpack she took on every mission; two daggers, a water bottle, three power suppressant cuffs, and her white cane

Storm, Kurt, Mystique, Jean, Quicksilver, Hank, and Scott were already there when Silver came skidding into the jet room.

"What's the mission?" she panted as she ran onto the jet.

"A group of 7 scuba divers went out three hours ago," Hank replied as he started up the jet. "They ran into something, causing their communication and navigation systems to quit. Our job is to find them, get them out safely, and find out what they ran into."

Peter popped his gum. "Sounds simple enough."

"The difficulty will be getting down there," Hank pointed out. "They were last charted at about 130 feet. However, Charles located them at 600. Whatever shorted out their communication and navigation must have pulled them down, too. Our problem is that we don't have scuba gear. The farthest anyone has ever gone without equipment is 702 feet. Kurt, your job is to take Jean and Silver down to try and get the divers to safety. When we find out what brought them down, then we'll know who else to send in."

Silver nodded as she felt her throat close. The idea of the crushing silence of the ocean was filling her mind. Suddenly, she felt a hand close around hers, and Storm's electric presence surrounded Silver.

"You're going to be fine," she said, and Silver felt Storm's hand squeeze her own.

Silver nodded and gave a forced smile. "What a fun first experience in the ocean!" she said, her voice breaking.

~o~o~

It only took them 10 minutes to fly from Westchester to where Charles had located the divers in the Atlantic ocean. By the time Hank was announcing that they were close, Silver couldn't stop shaking. When Hank said that it was time, a voice filled Silver's mind.

"Silver, just breathe. Everything will be just fine." Charles's voice was so familiar that Silver couldn't help but relax, and when Nightcrawler took her hand, she didn't pull back. She took a deep breath and they disappeared. The crushing feeling was instantaneous. Silver's hands flew out, her telekinesis kicked in, and the sensation disappeared as she created a bubble of air.

"Good idea," Jean said appreciatively. "Wow, I can't see anything down here."

Silver laughed weakly. "I guess that makes two of us."

"Three," Kurt chipped in from Silver's other side.

"Come on," Jean said, pulling Silver forward and turning on a flashlight. "I can feel the divers."

They floated through the air for a few minutes, but for Silver, it felt like hours. Finally, Jean said, "We're getting closer."

Silver waited with bated breath as Jean pulled her farther along. However, as they kept walking, Silver felt a strange tugging. It was as if the ocean was pushing even harder against her telekinetic field. As they kept walking, it only got stronger.

"Do you feel that?" Silver asked, pulling them to a stop.

"Feel what?" Jean and Kurt asked.

"There's something pushing at us."

"Like a current?" Kurt suggested.

Silver shook her head. "It's way too strong. It's hard for me to keep us steady."

"I have an idea," Jean said. Silver heard her unzipping her backpack and pulling something out. "I'm going to drop a protein bar into the water. We can see if there is a current. Maybe that's what pulled the divers down."

Silver waited for several seconds before hearing both Jean and Kurt gasp.

"What?" Silver demanded impatiently. "What is it?"

"There's a current, all right," Jean said. Suddenly, an image flashed into Silver's head, sending her stumbling back. She watched, through Jean's eyes, as the protein bar whipped through the air, disappearing into the blackness beyond Jean's flashlight within a second. Then the image vanished, and the ever-present nothingness returned.

"We should follow the current," Jean said. "That must be where the divers are. Silver, I'll help you maintain the bubble, but we can stop fighting the current."

This was a mistake. The second Silver dropped her hold against the current, she, Jean, and Kurt were sent hurtling through the water. They were slammed against the back of the bubble before sent tumbling forward as both Jean and Silver returned to fighting against the current.

"Mistake," Kurt gasped as Silver tried to regain her balance. "Bad mistake."

Jean's arm slipped under Silver's shoulder and she pulled Silver back to her feet. "Yes, let's not try that again."

After a moment, they were back to floating along with the current, both Jean and Silver putting up only slight force against the current. It wasn't long until Jean stopped them again.

"I see the divers," she told Kurt and Silver. They had been right. The divers had been trapped in the same current that they had been floating along. However, this seemed to be the center of the current. The divers were trapped in a rapidly spinning whirlpool, tossed ferociously by the current that seemed to be sucking in on them. From all sides, the current was flowing right into this point, where the poor divers were being spun and thrown like rag dolls.

"They're just barely alive," Jean murmured. "They've been here too long. Silver, help me pull them over here."

Silver reached out and her force found the divers. She pulled against the current, but it was too strong. Her breath quickened as she added all of her strength, tugging with all she could against the whirlpool. She felt the diver inch closer, but it wasn't enough.

"I can't do it," Silver gasped.

"Me neither," Jean said, panting. "Kurt, can you go out and grab them?"

No. Charles' voice filled Silver's head. You guys are too far under, you won't survive.

"Then what do we do?" Kurt asked no one in particular.

Everyone thought for a moment until Silver burst out, "We stop the current!"

"Are you insane?" Jean said incredulously. "We couldn't even pull one person against the current. You think we'll be able to entirely stop it?"

"We can bring Storm," Silver continued. "She can help us push against it. We don't need to entirely stop it. As long as we can slow it down, we can get them out."

Jean thought for a moment before turning to Kurt. "Bring Storm down."

Silver felt Kurt disappear for hardly a second before he reappeared, Storm at his side.

"Push against the current from the center," Jean instructed. "If we push from the middle and follow the path of the whirlpool, we have the best chance of slowing it. On the count of three. One… two… three!"

Together, Jean, Silver, and Storm pushed with all of their power against the force of nature. At first, there was no effect. They strained and heaved but there was no slowing down the whirlpool.

It wasn't until Silver had started to feel beads of sweat appearing on her forehead that Storm cried, "It's working! It's slowing down!"

For two more minutes, they pushed at the current. Finally, after Silver felt like she was about to collapse, Jean screamed, "Silver, now!"

In a heartbeat, Silver redirected all of her power onto the group of still spinning divers. The second she stopped pushing against the whirlpool, she felt the current quicken. Silver reached out into the air and tugged in as hard as she could. With a great heave and a splash, the seven unconscious divers fell into the bubble, and Silver collapsed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Get out!"

The scream echoed in Silver's head, rattling around and shaking up her entire mind. A man's face, twisted with rage and fear, burst into her head, his lips forming those words again and again.

"GET OUT!"

Silver closed her eyes and covered her ears with her hands, curling into a ball, trying desperately to block out her father's face and those familiar words, block out the entire world around her.

"Silver!"

Tears ran down her face as she rocked back and forth. _Get out! Get out! Get out!_

"Silver!"

Another voice began screaming. Silver had a vague idea that it was her own. She rocked faster and faster as the voices piled on top of each other and the screaming got louder. _GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!_

"SILVER!"

Silver sat bolt upright in bed, her heart beating in her throat. Next to her, another person was breathing heavily. Charles.

"You're okay," he said. "It was just a dream. You're okay."

Silver leaned toward him, and she felt his arms encircle her, pulling her into him. It wasn't until her breath had evened out that he let her go.

"The effort of saving those divers knocked you out for the rest of the night. It's 11:00 am now," Charles told her. "That was really quite extraordinary. Stopping a current like that, that was truly incredible. You're 16 and you're already saving lives."

"Is everyone okay?" Silver asked, her voice hoarse.

"Yes, thanks to you. The divers are in the hospital, and the doctors have already promised that they'll make a full recovery."

"What about the current? What was causing that?"

She heard Charles give a sharp intake of breath next to her. "That's more complicated."

~o~o~

"I think what you were fighting against is a variation of a maelstrom. It's an incredibly powerful whirlpool in an ocean or river," Hank explained.

Jean, Scott, Kurt, Storm, and Mystique had joined Hank, Xavier, and Silver in Hank's lab.

"Maelstroms are caused by two strong opposing currents colliding or one extremely strong current running into an obstacle. The thing is, the strongest known maelstrom is the Maelstrom of Saltstraumen. At its strongest, it has 24 mph currents and is 32 feet in diameter and 16 feet deep. I charted what you were facing at 87 mph, and it stretched 2000 feet across and 700 feet deep. Also, maelstroms are just stronger whirlpools, meaning they have an opening at the surface, creating a bowl shape. There was no sign of anything unusual at the surface. Meaning what you faced wasn't a maelstrom, despite the similar spinning."

"So then what was it?" Scott asked.

Hank was silent for a moment. "To be honest, I don't know. There is no existing phenomenon that matched what you faced. From what I can tell, something caused gravity to collapse on a single point, causing the surrounding atmosphere to be sucked in."

"Something or someone," Charles added.

"Or someone," Hank agreed. "Maybe a mutant with the power to create a new center of gravity?"

"I'll take a look in Cerebro," Charles suggested. "We'll go from there."

~o~o~

The pounding on her door. Pounding through her room, through her head.

"OPEN THE DOOR, YOU LITTLE FREAK!"

From her view from under the bed, Silver saw the doorknob rattling violently. Silver pulled her knees into her chest, curling into a tiny ball, as her door flew off the hinges. A pair of black boots stormed into the room. The moment Silver saw those boots, she squeezed her eyes closed as tightly as she could. Those boots… no matter where she was, she knew those boots would always find her.

"COME OUT YOU FILTHY MUTANT!"

The footsteps were drawing closer, the pounding of the boots crashing throughout her room—

"Silver?"

Silver came out of the memory as Raven walked into her room.

"Are you all right?" Raven asked. Silver could hear the worry in her voice.

"Yes, I'm fine," Silver said, but her voice, although she tried to hide it, shook ever so slightly. "What is it?"

"Charles finished with Cerebro. He wants us all to meet him in his office."

"Okay. I'll meet you there in a minute."

~o~o~

"Our suspicions were correct," Charles began once all the X-Men had arrived. "It was a mutant that caused the current. It was one of the divers, a nine-year-old girl named Max Garner. It seems that she got scared by a fish while she was diving and her mutation kicked in. Then, it was amplified by the power of the ocean itself. In a few minutes, I'm going to the hospital where she is staying to see if she's all right. You have all done a wonderful job today and I believe it is now time for dinner."

Silver was about to follow her friends to the cafeteria when she heard Charles call from his desk, "Silver? May I have a word?"

"Sure."

Charles waited until everyone had left before sighing deeply. "Silver, are you all right?"

"Of course," Silver said with a forced smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's moments like these where I wish you could see my face and know that I don't believe you," Charles said quietly.

Silver felt her face turn pink and her eyes fell to the floor. "I'm fine," she murmured.

"Silver." She heard him draw closer, felt his hand on hers. "I don't need to read your mind to know that you've been having flashbacks again. Promise me that if they start to get any worse, you'll tell me."

Silver nodded.

"All right then, you're free to go. Have a good night."

"Have a good night, professor."

~o~o~

Silver came back to her room late that night, smiling widely. She and Jean had spent all of dinner moving around their friends' plates and silverware. Once their friends had figured out what was happening, it had gone into full out warfare, resulting in seven smashed plates, fifteen incinerated napkins, and a lot of electrocuted hair before Hank had finally managed to put a stop to it. She was still smiling as she fell asleep.

"FREAK!"

A belt on her back.

"BASTARD!"

A boot on her neck.

"USELESS LITTLE FUCK!"

Silver curled into the smallest ball she could as her father's boots smashed into her body as hard as they could. "Stop stop stop!" she cried over and over again.

"MUTANT FREAK!" her father screamed as his boot kicked her in the face. His eyes were bloodshot, an empty beer bottle in one hand, his belt in the other.

"Stop stop stop!"

"YOU LITTLE SHIT STAIN!"

"STOP!"

Silver saw her father fly back and crash into the wall. She froze in terror.

"YOU BITCH!" Her father stumbled to his feet, his eyes rolling madly. From his jacket pocket, he pulled out his gun. "YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT WILL COST TO FIX? YOU LITTLE—"

A gunshot drowned out the rest of his words. Silver's head erupted in pain as a warm, sticky liquid flooded down from her forehead. Her father's hands were at her throat, choking out whatever small piece of life she had left.

"And I won't hurt anyone here?"

Charles gave Max a warm smile. "Of course not. We can help you to control your power so that you never hurt anyone again."

Max's face was still streaked with tear tracks. By the time Charles had arrived at the hospital, her parents had realized that she had been the one to almost kill them, and they had no idea what to do with her. Charles had given them the option of sending her to his school, and they had gratefully accepted the idea. It had been a tearful farewell, but Max's parents had assured her that they would visit as often as they could and that once she gained control of her abilities, they would gladly welcome her back. Charles had taken Max on a tour of the school and she had loved it, but Charles knew from experience that the transition would still be hard.

"How long will it take for me to control them?" Max asked eagerly.

Charles laughed. "I love your enthusiasm. It will help. It really depends on you. For better or for worse, you have a very powerful mutation, but you are also a very strong young woman. I'm sure you'll be back with your parents before you know it."

Max gave a wide smile just as the entire school building shook. Charles' smile fell immediately.

"What was that?" Max asked.

Hank came running down the hall. "Charles, it's Silver."

Charles gave Max a quick smile. "Hank, could you stay with Max, please?"

Hank led Max into her room as Charles wheeled down the hallway and slowly opened Silver's door. The house shook again as he eased into her room. Silver was in bed, her sheets twisted violently around her as she thrashed and trembled.

"Silver?" Charles pulled up to her side and put his hand on her arm. Instantly, he felt a force like a ton of bricks hit him in the chest, sending him shooting back through the air, her telekinesis pinning him against the wall and preventing him from reapproaching. The house trembled again and Silver's thrashing grew stronger. Taking a deep breath, Charles closed his eyes and entered her mind. As Charles emerged in Silver's head, he saw her nine-year-old self lying on the floor. Her father stood over her, his hands clamped around her neck, choking her. Blood covered Silver and the hands that clutched at her throat. Charles recognized this memory. It was right after Silver's father had shot her in the head in an attempt to kill her. That single bullet was what took away Silver's sight forever.

"THE WORLD IS BETTER OFF WITHOUT FREAKS LIKE YOU!" Silver's father shouted, spit landing all over his daughter's face. Charles watched in horror as her struggling grew weaker and weaker. But just as her father was about to let go, her eyes opened and she pushed out with her hands.

"STOP!" she screamed. Her father was thrown back through the wall and down the stairs, landing with a thud on the floor below. Silver fell to the floor, sobbing and clawing at her face, blood streaming from a bullet hole in her forehead. "My eyes, my eyes," she sobbed.

Charles knelt at her side. "Silver," he whispered. "This is just a memory. You're okay. You're okay. Your father is gone. You're safe."

Silver looked up at him. Her face was black and blue and sliced open from several bleeding cuts. "Charles?" she moaned weakly.

"Yes, Silver. It's me. This is just a memory. You're safe."

Silver sighed and her body changed. Suddenly, the young girl was replaced by the 16-year-old Silver that Charles knew. The bruises disappeared, the marks from her father's belt faded to thin scars, and the bullet hole sealed up to a fingertip-sized mark. Charles felt himself return to reality as if emerging from water. The telekinetic force pinning him to the wall disappeared and he crumpled onto the floor. Silver was sitting up in bed, her finger tracing the scar on her forehead.

"Professor? Are you okay?" she asked quietly, her voice weak.

"I could use a hand," he admitted.

Silver's face paled as she realized where his voice was coming from. "Oh, shit!" She bolted out of bed and rushed to Charles' side. "I'm so sorry, professor."

"It's all right, Silver," he assured her. Silver put her arm under his and helped him back into his chair. "I'm fine. But are you?"

Silver ran a hand through her hair and wiped away a tear from her cheek. "I don't know. Why is this happening again? I haven't seen that for four years. Why are they coming back now?"

Charles reached up and put a hand on her shoulder. "Silver, we'll figure this out in the morning. Right now, you need your sleep."

Silver shook her head and paced back and forth in her room. "No! What if this happens again? What if it only gets worse? I could hurt you again!"

Charles came up to her side and grabbed her hands, forcing her to stop her pacing. "Silver. You can fight this. You did it before, you can do it again. You're exactly right, these haven't happened since you were 12. You're getting better. This is just a phase. With memories like yours, it's only natural to happen once in a while."

"Professor, you don't get it. They've never been this strong before. I can't stop them, I can't get out of them, I can't even tell that they're not real! I can't do anything!" Silver's voice broke and she slid down the wall to sit on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest, tears running down her face.

Charles sighed. "Tomorrow, we'll work on stopping the memories. For tonight, I'll stay with you and help keep them at bay."

"Professor, I can't ask you to do that!" Silver said.

"You're not asking, I'm offering. If I wasn't willing to do it, I wouldn't have suggested it."

Half an hour later, Silver was fast asleep, her face relaxed and her mind clear. Charles sat asleep next to her, two fingers still resting on his temple.


	3. Chapter 3

"When did you start having flashbacks again?"

It was the next morning. Silver was walking by Charles' side towards the X shaped doors at the end of the hallway. They stopped in front of the doors and Silver heard the robotic voice say "Welcome, Professor".

"Three days ago. Why?"

"Just thinking. I want to check something," he told her as she followed him into Cerebro. Silver waited silently as Charles put on the helmet. Suddenly, voices exploded around them, sending Silver stumbling back.

"Sorry, I should have given a warning," Charles apologized as Silver straightened up.

They were quiet for another minute before Charles finally said, "Oh no."

"What?" Silver begged impatiently. "What is it?"

Charles sighed and Silver heard him turn off Cerebro. "Silver, when you said you've been having flashbacks of time with your father, I was wondering if it might have something to do with your father's current situation."

"What do you mean?"

"You know that ever since you attacked him a few months ago, he has been in a coma?"

"Yes." Silver smiled. It was one of the few memories with her father that she could look back on with fondness.

~o~o~

It was a few days after Silver's 16th birthday, a few months ago. Charles had found a very powerful mutant in a small town in Quebec, and Silver was the only student at the school who spoke French fluently. However, because it was out of the country, Silver needed parental permission to travel with someone who wasn't a parent or guardian. So together, Charles and Silver had returned to her father's house to ask for his signature to let Silver travel with Charles. Her father had refused.

"You think I'm letting you leave the country with some fucking handicapped retard?" he had laughed.

All fear of her father evaporated as Silver reached out with her telekinesis and grabbed her father around the throat. He was lifted off his feet, gasping for breath.

"Apologize," she hissed. "And sign the damn form."

"Sorry," he gasped, and she released him. He took the paper from Charles and gave a hurried signature. "It's cute that you need my blind daughter to stand up for you," he muttered under his breath. Silver turned, her face contorted in rage.

"Silver!" Charles warned, but it was too late. With a single flick of her hand, her father went shooting through the air. His back hit the wall of his house and he crumpled, motionless, on the grass.

~o~o~

"He woke up the same day that your flashbacks came back."

Silver's face was a picture of shock. "What? What does that mean?"

Charles closed his eyes. "Cerebro helps me to expand my power, but also to control it. All of the people in the world are linked to me through Cerebro. Humans are shown in blue and mutants are shown in red."

The shock on Silver's face was replaced by pure fear as she realized where Charles was going with this.

"Silver, your father's a mutant."

~o~o~

"But mutants are born, not made! You can't just suddenly be a mutant!" Silver cried, pacing back and forth in Charles' office.

"That's normally the case," Charles agreed. "But it seems like the medication the doctors gave him to help him out of the coma affected his DNA. The key to mutation lies in DNA. You can tamper with DNA to turn your mutation off." Charles paused for a moment. Silver heard the faint sound of skin rubbing against fabric as Charles subconsciously ran his hand across his leg. "It only makes sense that a dormant mutation could be turned on. A part of his DNA must have been mutated to get him out of the coma, but maybe another part of his DNA was accidentally mutated as well. The mutant X gene."

Silver sank to the floor, her face in her hands. "What is he going to do?" she said, her voice muffled.

Charles carefully moved next to Silver and put a hand on her shoulder. "He's looking for you."

"For me? What's he going to do?" Her voice was rising in panic.

Charles' silence was answer enough. Both of them knew. He was going to finish the job that a bullet through the head couldn't.

Finally, Silver straightened up, determined. "We need to warn the school."

~o~o~

"All classes are suspended for the rest of the day. We ask everyone to remain inside and ready for an emergency situation procedure. All students to the basement level. All teachers and selected students, stay here with me."

The entire school had gathered in the foyer. 100 people were watching Charles, who was at the bottom of the staircase, addressing everyone. "Please listen to all instructions carefully. We don't know what this man is going to do or even what he can do."

"Can't you read his mind?" a voice piped up from the back.

"I have, Henry. However, he doesn't know himself what he can do. He doesn't even know that he is a mutant. But as we all know, powers tend to come out in moments of anger, which he is very prone to. Therefore, we want to make sure all of our students are safe."

"How does he know where we are?" another voice asked.

Charles lowered his eyes. "This is my mistake. I told him where I'd be taking Silver. At the time, he had no intention of trying to find us. Now, I believe something has changed."

"Why?" another voice shouted.

"He woke up from a coma that Silver caused a few months ago."

"How did you put him a coma?" a small boy from the front row asked.

Silver gave a sly smile. "I threw him into a wall."

There were several appreciative remarks and a whistle from the back. Silver smiled wider.

"Please, let's not encourage violence," Charles reprimanded, but he couldn't hide a small smile. "We need to try to be the better people. All that matters is that he is very dangerous and very angry. He doesn't know how to control his power, and I don't think he'll even want to. When I tell you to, please report straight to the basement level. For now, have fun, but stay inside. Teachers, X-Men, a word."

Everyone ran off in separate directions, excited at the prospect of an afternoon with no classes. All of the teachers and the X-Men stayed behind.

Charles turned to face them. "You all know more of what we're dealing with. Joseph Nevara is a cold-hearted monster who delights in bringing people pain. We have no idea what he is now capable of, but we know he will stop at nothing to cause Silver as much pain as he can. He is only 15 miles out, so we need a plan."

~o~o~

It was 25 minutes after Charles' announcement when his voice entered the mind of every student in the school. "Mr. Nevara is about four minutes away. Students, please go to the basement. Hank and Raven will be down to help you."

The sound of running footsteps and nervous voices filled the entire school. From her position at the bottom of the stairs next to Charles, Silver listened as the footsteps slowly faded into silence. Cyclops, Storm, Jean, Quicksilver, and Nightcrawler stood in position around the door. Together, they made a semi-circle with Charles and Silver at the head, directly across from the doors. Silver felt Charles' hand brush her side, and knew that he would be there for her. She felt a steely calm rush over her just as the doors burst open.

"YOU!"

Her father was standing in the middle of the doorway. He was in ripped jeans and a worn out T-Shirt, his face fiery red. He stormed into the school, his eyes locked on his daughter.

"YOU!" he bellowed again.

Charles moved forward, his face and voice calm. "What are you here for?"

Silver's father stopped and glared down at Charles. "What am I here for?" he snarled, his voice poisonous. "I'm here to finish a job I should have done years ago. And a useless cripple won't get in my way."

In three steps, Silver was standing in front of Charles, facing her father. "Apologize," she said, but her voice quivered ever so slightly. And her father noticed.

"Like you could stand up to me again. You didn't even have enough strength to finish me off the first time. Let me show you how."

As he drew back his fist, his hand was surrounded by a bright orange glow. "Silver!" Charles yelled, but it was too late. His glowing fist hit her in the chest, sending her flying back and crashing into the stairwell. On all sides, Storm, Cyclops, Jean, Nightcrawler, and Quicksilver took a step in, but Charles' voice stopped them.

"Remember the plan," he said into their minds. "This is Silver's fight. Wait until she needs us."

Silver stood up, wincing. Her father was looking at his own hands, a maniacal grin spreading across his face. "You gonna pick a fight with me now?" he cackled, his eyes wild. He groped in the air for a moment before a glowing orange whip appeared in his hand. He cracked it in the air and laughed madly.

Silver was shaking as her father ran towards her. Before she could try to protect herself, he had cracked the whip again, wrapping it around her body. Silver screamed in pain as energy surged through the whip.

"Silver!" Cyclops yelled. On all sides, the X-Men ran to help.

"NO!" Silver's father screamed. His fist glowed orange as he punched the floor beneath him. The foyer exploded with energy, sending Storm, Cyclops, Jean, Nightcrawler, Quicksilver, and Charles flying back.

Joseph Nevara's eyes were back on his daughter. She was writhing on the ground in pain. The whip disappeared as he knelt next to her.

"Pitiful," he spat. "Without your pathetic friends, you are nothing. You don't deserve them." With one hand, he reached out. Another glowing whip formed in his hand and shot out. It snaked around Cyclops' wrist and pulled his unconscious body to lie at Silver's father's feet.

"No!" Silver cried, lunging forwards, but four new whips appeared, attaching to her wrists and ankles and pulling her back.

"You know, it's really a shame you won't be able to see this," her father told her. "But I have a feeling that the pain will wake him up. So you'll hear the screams."

Silver heard the crackle of energy as her father summoned a knife-like shape.

"NO!" Silver shouted. Just as Cyclops began to scream, her father was knocked back. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but it broke his concentration. The knife disappeared, as well as Silver's restraints.

"NO!" she yelled again, and her friends were lifted into the air, suspended 20 feet above the ground.

"No." This time, it was a hiss that only her father could hear. "You will never come back here."

"You can't stop me," he jeered.

"Yes, I can."

"No, you can't," her father insisted, taking a step forward so that he was nose to nose with his daughter. "You need your little friends to do anything. You all are so pathetic, looking up to a man in a chair. He's useless. You are—"

"You think you'd have learned," Silver cut him off. "Every time you insult him, you get hurt."

"But I'm stronger than you!" he screamed. "There is nothing you can do to me!"

He brought his glowing fist back and swung it at Silver's face. But right before it was about to hit her, Silver brought up her hand and caught his blow. The energy flickered and died.

"You are wrong," she said smoothly. "I am so much stronger." Silver pushed his fist back at him, sending him shooting through the air and crashing into the doors. Silver lifted her father up and pinned his hands behind his back. He was cut up and bloody, and he was wincing at every breath.

"What are you going to do now?" he mocked. "You don't have the balls to kill me."

Silver shrugged. "That's not my plan." Turning around, she carefully lowered her now conscious friends back to the ground. Once they were all safely returned, she turned back to face her father. "Charles asked me what I wanted to do with you. He doesn't want me to kill you, even though that's what you wanted to do to me. But he's right. We need to be the better people. So you're going to get exactly what you deserve."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I will be the first to admit that my knowledge of what happens in a true criminal trial is limited to movies. However, I did ask a lawyer I know many question so this is somewhat realistic. Definitely not entirely. But hey, that's why it's fiction.

* * *

"The defendant is Mr. Joseph Nevara, represented by Mr. Peter Ritcker. The prosecutor is state attorney Jamie White. The charges against Joseph Nevara are child assault, including many burns and cuts and one attempted murder, resulting in the victim's permanent disablement. Prosecution, you may now begin your opening statement."

It had been one very tense month since Silver had brought her father into jail. Charles and Silver had been working on her argument with their state issued lawyer everyday, knowing that her father wouldn't go down without a fight. At the arraignment, he pleaded innocent, and Silver and Charles agreed that meant that they had good false evidence.

"Thank you, your honor." Jamie stood to address the jury. "Joseph Nevara has been physically and emotionally abusing his daughter since she was four years old. He has scared her into silence for 12 years before she came to us. When she was nine, she was shot in the head by her father, causing her permanent blindness. At 11, she ran away. To this day, she is plagued with nightmares and flashbacks of these traumatic events. For the sake of this girl, I ask the jury to press these charges against Mr. Nevara and give Silver a better life. Thank you."

The judge turned to face Mr. Ritcker. "The defence may now give their opening statement."

His lawyer, a stiff looking middle aged man, stood up and faced the judge. "Thank you, your honor." He turned to look at the jury. "The charges against Mr. Nevara are that he brutally attacked his own daughter. The evidence are scars. The witness is the victim, a blind and traumatized 16-year-old girl. Are these scars even from Mr. Nevara? The answer is no. So when you are deciding the fate of this man's life, remember what the evidence is, and you'll find that Mr. Nevara never hurt his daughter. Thank you."

The lawyer returned to his seat next to Silver's father and gave a small nod.

The judge cleared his throat. "The prosecution may now call forth their first witness."

Jamie stood up. "The prosecution calls forth Silver Nevara, daughter and victim of Joseph Nevara."

From the front row, Silver stood. Next to her, Charles gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. On Charles' other side, the policeman that they had been working with, Jake Hartman, whispered, "You've got this."

A courtroom official helped her to the witness stand. When she was seated, Jamie stood in front of her. "Ms. Nevara, how old were you when the abuse started?"

"Five."

"How long did it continue?"

"Six years. I ran away when I was 11."

"Why did you run away?"

"To get away from my father."

"What types of abuse did you experience at your father's hands? What injuries did you sustain?"

Silver drew in a short breath as memories raced into her mind. "Burns, cuts, bruises." She absentmindedly traced the scar on her forehead. "A shot."

"Can you clarify that, Ms. Nevara? You were shot in the head by your father at the age of nine, causing permanent blindness?"

"Yes."

From in front of her, Silver heard her father and his lawyer whispering.

"Ms. Nevara, may I ask you to give details on the injuries you sustained at your father's hands.

Silver felt her body start to tremble. "I was cut and stabbed with a pocket knife, burned with cigarettes, grabbed by the neck, whipped with a belt, kicked, punched… " Silver trailed off, memories starting to overwhelm her.

Jamie turned back to the jury. "My job is to give you proof of this. So I ask the witness to present her arms as evidence."

Silver obliged and held out her arms as Jamie asked, "Your honor, permission to submit these pictures as evidence and approach the jury."

"Granted."

Jamie stood right in front of the jury and passed out the pictures. Silver heard sharp intakes of breath. "You can see the scars on Ms. Nevara's arms. These pictures are from her stomach and legs." Jamie clicked a button on a clicker in his hand. "On the board in front of you is a picture of a scar on Silver's back. Silver, how did you get this scar?"

"My father had me make dinner every night. The night I got that scar, I was eight years old and I had made chicken. He told me that his was undercooked. I turned around to put it back on the stove. He took his knife and cut my back."

"Objection, your honor!" Silver's father's lawyer said, standing up. "Does the prosecution have proof that this is how this scar was created?"

"Your honor, permission to call Dr. Chris Vineto to the witness stand?"

"Granted. The prosecution now calls Dr. Chris Vineto to the witness stand."

Jamie helped Silver down from the stand and the courtroom official took her back to her seat.

Jamie continued, "Dr. Vineto examined several of Silver's scars two days ago, including this one. Dr. Vineto, by examining this scar, is it true that this was sustained by a typical steak knife?"

"Yes," the doctor replied.

"And based on Silver's anatomy, would there be any way that she could cause this herself?"

"No."

"And Silver was rarely allowed out of the house. There is no one else who could have caused this. Thank you, Dr. Vineto. Your honor, permission to call forth New York police officer Jake Hartman to the witness stand?"

"Permission granted."

Dr. Vineto returned to his seat down the row from Silver as Jake took the seat at the witness stand.

"Officer Hartman, when did you first hear about the abuse that took place at the Nevara household?"

"A month ago, when Silver came into the police department and pressed charges against Mr. Nevara."

"And you were in charge of examining the house for evidence of said abuse?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell us what you found in Silver's bedroom?"

"There were bloodstains on the floor and on the lower parts of two of the walls. There was also a knife near Silver's bed. Fingerprints on the handle matched Mr. Nevara, while the bloodstains on the blade matched Silver's DNA."

"Thank you, Officer Hartman. The prosecution now rests."

"Thank you. Defence, present your first witness."

The lawyer stood up. "We call Silver Nevara back to the stand."

Once Silver was seated at the stand again, the lawyer asked the judge, "Permission to approach the witness."

"Granted."

The lawyer stepped closer and Silver heard him place something in front of her. "This is a picture of you and Mr. Nevara at the Potomac River on a fishing trip when you were eight. Do you remember when this picture was taken?"

Silver almost laughed. She did. This was right after one of the neighbors had begun getting worried about her. Her father had demanded that they take pictures of fun things together in order to evade suspicion. "Yes, I do, but—,"

"And you were eight years old?"

"Yes, but—."

"That would make it right when you were supposedly being abused. This doesn't seem like something an abuser would do with his victim."

"Permission to finish my answer, your honor?"

"Granted."

"Yes that is me smiling when I was eight years old. But that is because my father had threatened me to force me to look happy. One of our neighbors was worried that something was wrong and had commented that we had no pictures together. So my father took me to different places and had us act like we had a happy father-daughter relationship."

The lawyer was speechless.

"Does the defence have any other witnesses that they would like to call forward?" the judge prompted. The lawyer gave a helpless look back at Silver's father. Mr. Nevara was a picture of rage.

The lawyer turned back to the judge. "No, your honor. The defence rests."

"Prosecution, you may now give your closing argument."

Jamie stood. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this is Silver Nevara's life that is in your hands right now. Her father is a monster who has tormented every moment of her life. They have failed to present valid arguments to defend their case and we have 12 years of torture to show you. Mr. Nevara belongs in jail, and it is up to you to put him there. Thank you."

"Defence, you may now give your closing argument."

The lawyer took Jamie's position in front of the jury. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, your decision is on the life of this man here. This innocent man. He has been a loving single father who has taken good care of his daughter. He is rewarded for his kind behavior by his daughter turning against him and presenting false allegations against him. Mr. Nevara has been a contributing member of society for his entire life. It is up to you to compare his noble reputation against that of a blind teenager. Thank you."

~o~o~

The decision was quick. In hardly two minutes, the jury were back. A hush fell over the courtroom as the presiding juror stood up.

"The jury has reached a verdict of guilty. Judge Hintraw will now decide the sentence."

All eyes fell on the judge. "Based on the law of the state of New York, Joseph Nevara will be sentenced to 30 years of jail time. Silver Nevara will be taken out of his custody. This trial is complete."

As the gavel banged down, the courtroom came alive as everyone began to leave. Charles was shaking hands with their witnesses.

"Thank you so much, Officer," he said, a wide smile on his face. "We couldn't have done it without you."

Finally he turned to Silver and they embraced. "You did it!"

"Thank you so much for all of your help," Silver said to Hartman and Vineto. "Jamie, really, that was amazing. We owe you."

"Standing up for the law is my job, Silver. I am just grateful that I could help you. But it looks like you're not done."

They turned around. A professional looking woman was walking over to them. "Ms. Nevara, my name is Stacy Wallis. Congratulations on your appeal. However, I'm here to tell you that it's not fully over yet. The court has revoked guardianship rights from your father, meaning you will have to find a new guardian. You can turn it over to state control and we can put you into a foster care system, or you can try and find someone yourself. You skip all of the appeal steps because it is now illegal for Mr. Nevara to claim any parental rights over you. All we need to do is find a person, have a judge agree that this person can support you, and fill out a lot of forms. However, if you want to pick the person, you have 30 days before you'll get sent to a foster system."

Silver couldn't believe she hadn't thought of this before. Obviously if her father was found guilty he would no longer be legally in charge of her. But finding a substitute? Silver had never had a true father so how would she know what to look for? Someone who held her when she cried? Someone who helped her figure out her true potential? Somebody who always knew what to say? Somebody who she would give her life for? She came to the conclusion in one shocking moment of truth. She already knew who her father should be, because he had been her father ever since he found her on the run when she was 11 years old.

"I have somebody already," she said, smiling.

"You do? Oh that's wonderful! Here are the forms that they will need to bring to court. The state will also send somebody out to their home to make sure that it is a suitable place for you to live. Especially considering your disability, the court will have to be very careful."

"I don't think that will be a problem," Silver told her. "Thank you for your help."

Stacy smiled and walked out. Charles turned to face Silver. "I know what you're thinking," he said. Silver's smile fell as she heard the sadness in his voice.

"I should have asked, I'm so sorry. Nevermind."

"No, no, no!" he said quickly. "Silver, I would love to be your legal guardian. But they won't clear me. I don't technically have an income. I don't think 'inherited fortune' will slide with them. And one of the criteria is that they have to be physically capable." Charles looked helplessly at his legs. "I'm not."

But Silver could not be dissuaded. "No, you've taken care of me for this long. All we need is for the court to see that."

Charles smiled. "I love your enthusiasm. But for now, I think we have a lot of eager children waiting to hear what happened today."


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Sorry for the long break between my publishes. I have a rather busy schedule. This is a short chapter, but I think you'll find it quite exciting!

* * *

"Congratulations!" Storm said, running up to hug Silver. "Charles sent the news ahead so that we could prepare a party for you!"

By the time Charles and Silver had gotten back to the school, the students had set up a full-blown party. It had taken a little while longer than expected to get back because Charles had to sign tons of forms that would allow him to take care of her for the next 30 days. Finally, they had driven back to find the entire newly repaired entrance hall covered in streamers and balloons.

"Quicksilver helped set it up," Storm explained as they pushed their way through the crowd of dancing children. "It was the only way to do it in time."

"Thank you so much, Storm," Silver said. "Really, this is amazing."

"Of course. You deserve it."

Storm blended back into the dancing crowd as Silver carefully found her way to one of the tables.

"You're not dancing?"

Silver nearly jumped out of her seat as Charles' voice appeared right next to her.

"Oh sorry," Charles apologized. "I thought you knew I was here. You're not dancing?"

Silver snorted. "I can't dance."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't see."

"Why does that stop you?" Charles asked. His words were light, but there was something deeper in his voice.

"Because… I don't know. I guess I just don't like dancing. Maybe it has nothing to do with blindness. Why aren't you dancing?"

Charles laughed. "Because I physically can't."

In a split second, the most insane and amazing idea hit Silver. "I can help with that!" she cried excitedly, standing up.

"How?" There was real curiosity in Charles' voice. Silver could even here a hint of excitement.

"Come with me." Together, they moved out onto the dance floor. "Okay, what if I telekinetically lifted you? I could keep you standing up."

"I don't know," Charles said hesitantly.

"What's wrong? I know I can keep you balanced."

"Yes, I know you can, too." There was still doubt in his voice, though.

"Then what is it?" Silver pressed him.

"I—," Charles faltered. But Silver knew what it was. It was the same thing that had terrified Silver when she had gone blind. The thought of relearning how to do something that used to come easy to her. Another memory came into her mind, but this time, it wasn't of her father.

~o~o~

"Remember, the cane goes on the opposite side as the foot. Right foot, left side. Left foot, right side. There you go!"

It was her first morning at the school. She had stumbled in the night before, scratched and bruised, and collapsed in the foyer. Charles had been shocked to learn that, despite being blind for two years, Silver didn't even know what a white cane was. So here they were, in the basement training room, Charles teaching Silver how to use a cane.

"Okay, find your way around me," Charles suggested. Suddenly, he was there, her cane hitting the edge of his chair. Slowly, Silver reached out, her hand finding the edge of the wheelchair. Using the cane as she used to use her foot, she felt her way around the edge.

"There you go!" Charles said, spinning around to face her. "Easy."

Silver said nothing.

"Are you all right, Silver?" Charles asked, the cheerfulness gone from his voice.

Silver shrugged. "I don't like this."

"You don't like what?"

"The cane."

"Why not?"

Silver felt her face slowly turning pink. "I feel like I'm learning how to walk again."

"And you don't like that?"

"I mean, I guess it's nice. But people my age are supposed to be learning how to skateboard or play guitar. And here I am with someone saying 'left foot, right foot'."

Charles gave a sad smile. "I know. After I was paralyzed, I had to learn how to do everything again. Suddenly, the simplest tasks seemed impossible. But you learn and adapt, and soon enough, it will be second nature."

~o~o~

"Remember what you told me the day after you met me? You learn and adapt, and soon enough, it will be second nature."

Charles laughed. "Only you can find a way to shove my words back down my throat. But Silver, this is different. You need legs to dance."

"And you have legs!"

"Sorry, I should have been more specific. You need working legs."

Silver shook her head. "You'll be fine! Come on, don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, but—"

"No 'but's. You have to at least try."

Charles sighed. "You have got to be one of the most stubborn people I've ever met. What do you need me to do?"

"Take my hands. Use me for balance."

Charles laughed. "I remember when I was saying that to you."

"How the tables have turned," Silver said. She was smiling more than she could remember having ever smiled. "Okay. All you have to do is stay balanced as much as you can. I'll do the rest. Are you ready?"

"No."

"Well then, no time like the present!" Silver closed her eyes and let her telekinesis find Charles. Carefully, she lifted his feet onto the floor.

"I'm going to count down. I'm just going to pull you up from my hands, then use telekinesis to balance you. Three… two… one!"

Slowly, she pulled him up. Just as she could feel him starting to fall, she straightened his legs, bringing him to a standing position. Charles was breathing as if he had just run a marathon, his hands clutching at Silvers' as if they were a lifeboat.

After a moment, he started to laugh. "You did it!"

"I told you I could," Silver pointed out. "Now, may I have this dance?"

"Of course."

Their dance wasn't pretty. Silver kept moving Charles' feet onto her own and after every step, it took a moment for Charles to regain his balance. But they were dancing. And that was all that mattered. Finally, once Silver had lowered Charles back into his chair, the room around them burst into applause. Silver and Charles had been so focused on not losing their balance that they hadn't noticed that the entire room had stopped to watch them.

Charles was smiling widely and took Silver's hand in his own. "Thank you, Silver. Thank you so much."

Silver was happier at this moment than she had been in her whole life. And when she finally fell asleep that night, there wasn't a single nightmare.

~o~o~

"What are the names?"

"Jake Hartman, Chris Vineto, Jamie White."

They sat on opposite sides of a glass screen, a telephone in the hand of each man. It hadn't taken Joseph Nevara long to hear about this man. He was famous throughout the entire prison. If you wanted revenge, this was the man to find. He was big, at least 6'7 and bulging with muscle. His eyes had a permanent gleam of danger to them. His dark skin was made even darker by the huge tattoos running along his body.

He smiled at Joseph. "Done. But you said you had a special job for me. A cop, a doctor, and a lawyer don't sound too hard to me."

"Oh, those are just the starters," Joseph growled. "I need you to make sure they're dead before you get the last two."

"And who might these special two people be to earn this privilege?"

Joseph's eyes narrowed. "They're the ones who put me here. The rest just helped them."

The man gave a deep laugh. "Ah yes. I get that order a lot. Kill the accomplices first, but wait to kill the real target until they know their friends are dead. The names?"

Joseph Nevara's voice was full of hatred. "Charles Xavier and Silver Nevara."

The man stood up, about to leave. As he did, Joseph caught sight of a certain tattoo on his arm. It was a wasp.

"Do I at least get to know your name?" Joseph called into the phone.

The man stopped just as he was about to put the phone down. "Just call me The Assassin."


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Sorry for how long this chapter has taken! It's been a busy few weeks.

* * *

For the first day in over a month, Silver woke up at 7 am to her school alarm clock. As she turned it off, she laughed. She was finally going back to her normal school schedule. She got dressed and made her way down to breakfast.

"Hey Silver!" Just like he always did, Peter appeared at Silver's side with no warning. She gave a slight jump.

"Hi, Peter."

"I haven't seen you at breakfast in a long time," he commented.

"I haven't been down here for breakfast in a long time," Silver agreed. "But now that my father's case is done, I'm back to my normal schedule. Charles has to fill out all the paperwork before we can do anything else."

"Ugh, paperwork," Peter groaned. "My worst nightmare. Well, I'll see you in class!"

Silver felt a breeze blow her hair back as he ran off. She entered the cafeteria and was immediately surrounded by the voices of students chatting, eating, and getting ready for the day.

"Silver! Over here!" a voice called from her left. It was Jean. As she sat down, she heard the voices of Ororo, Scott, and Kurt. Her smile widened. This was where she belonged.

~o~o~

"Alacrity?"

_Ding!_

"Liveliness or eagerness."

"Correct. One point to Scott's team."

Jean, Scott, and Kurtcheered. Charles smiled. He had decided to, instead of giving them a normal vocabulary quiz, put together a game show type competition. Peter, Silver, and Ororo were playing against Scott, Jean, and Kurt. There were, of course, strict no power rules. Peter was very disappointed.

"Alright, Scott's team is currently 2 points ahead. Next word is ubiquitous."

_Ding!_

"Silver?"

"Found or appearing everywhere."

"Correct," Charles said, adding one point to their tally. "That brings the score to 4-5. It's good to have you back, Silver."

"It's good to be back."

~o~o~

"I still think Peter went too quickly on that last point," Scott said for the millionth time as they walked down to lunch together.

"You're just being a sore loser," Silver told him.

"Yeah, man. You just went really slow," Peter pointed out.

"Because you were going too fast!" Scott argued.

They were all laughing as they walked into the cafeteria.

"So Silver, what are you going to do about the guardianship rights?" Jean asked her after they'd all gotten their lunch.

Silver's smile fell slightly. "The professor and I are going to try and convince the court that he should be my legal guardian."

"Oh, that would be amazing!" Ororo cheered. But Jean knew that there was a problem.

"Silver? Why aren't you happy about that?"

"I am," Silver told them. "I would love that. But Charles thinks the judge won't let him be my guardian."

"Why not?" Kurt asked.

"There are a few main criteria that a legal guardian must have. A safe place to live, the ability to take care of the child both emotionally and physically, and a steady source of income."

"But what's the problem?" Peter was confused. "He's been taking care of us all just fine for years."

"It's the physical capability, isn't it?" Jean realized. "That's the problem?"

Silver nodded. "Being in a wheelchair is going to be a serious tally against him, especially considering that I'm blind and need more help. And also, the professor doesn't technically have a real income. He has a huge inherited fortune, but that might not pass with the judge."

Ororo put a hand on Silver's shoulder. "Don't worry, Silver. The judge will see that you belong here. You've been living here for five years. They'll see that."

"And if they don't," Jean added. "I can help to change their mind."

Silver laughed. "I don't think messing with their mind will be a good idea, Jean. We're trying to do this legally."

"All right, all right," Jean said. But Silver felt Jean's hair brush against her cheek as she leaned into Silver's ear. "Just call me."

Silver laughed. "So, what did I miss in classes?"

~o~o~

"Are you serious about this?"

Charles and Silver were in the Danger Room. It was two days after the case; a Saturday. Silver had asked the professor to join her.

"Very serious. You danced. Why can't you walk?"

Charles laughed. "What we did can hardly be considered dancing. You are suggesting that I walk normally."

"Why not?"

"Because… because…" Charles stammered.

"Exactly," Silver said. "No reason to not at least try!"

Charles sighed. "Sometimes, I forget that you are the same girl that stumbled into this school five years ago."

~o~o~

It had been an unusually uneventful day. Running a school for mutants was normally a rather exciting job, but that day, there had been nothing to stir up Charles' schedule. He was in his office, grading his students' papers when he had heard a familiar yell from the entrance hall.

"Hank!" Charles called. He hurried out of his office and into the entrance hall as fast as his wheelchair would allow him. When he arrived, he first saw Hank, pinned against the banister, six feet above the ground, by an invisible force, six feet above the ground. The doors to the entrance hall were open, and in front of them, trembling from head to foot, was a young girl. Her clothes were ripped, her hair was tangled, and she was unbelievably thin. Her face was an even more haunting sight. Her lips were cracked and bleeding and her eyes were bloodshot and glassy. Students had crowded the landing above, looking down at Hank, Charles, and this girl.

Slowly, Charles moved forward. "Are you alright?" he asked cautiously.

The girl was shaking. Tears began running down her face. "Help me," she croaked, her voice raspy. Hank fell to the floor as the girl collapsed.

~o~o~

"Yeah, I certainly did enter with a bang, didn't I?" Silver remembered. "But you're avoiding the subject."

"Yes, I suppose I am. Alright then, you're right. It can't hurt to try."

Just like they had last night, Charles took Silver's hands and Silver counted down before pulling Charles into a standing position.

"I'm going to let you go now. My telekinesis will keep you standing, I promise."

Slowly, Charles hands released Silver and she stepped back. She felt her telekinesis molding around Charles's legs, locking them in place.

"Okay, now I'm going to move your legs. Your job is to go along with the flow."

Silver carefully stretched her telekinesis out to her legs and took a step forward. The telekinetic strings that were attaching her legs to Charles gave a slight pull and she heard him gasp. She felt his hand fly out and clutch onto her shoulder.

"You alright?" she asked, immediately stopping.

"I lost my balance. I'm not used to moving this way," Charles said, his fingers still digging into Silver's shoulder. "Silver, I can't do this."

Silver was shocked to hear real fear in her mentor's voice. But she couldn't give up now. "No, no, you can! Professor, I know you can do this. Leave your hand on my shoulder for balance. I won't let you fall."

Silver heard him take a shaky breath. "If anything goes wrong, I'll stop," she promised him. "But you can't give up before you've tried."

There was a beat of silence before Charles said, "Alright, I'm ready."

Silver took a single slow step forward. The telekinetic strings pulled Charles' leg forward to match her own. The hand on her shoulder squeezed, but Charles didn't fall. So Silver took another step forward. Then another. Then another. After every step, Silver waited until the pressure on her shoulder relaxed before knowing it was safe to take another step. Before she knew it, her foot had hit the wall.

"My chair," Charles gasped. Silver reached out telekinetically and pulled Charles' chair towards them. Carefully, she lowered him down until he was seated. There was silence, filled only with Charles' deep breathing. Silver waited nervously, her spirits sinking as the seconds passed.

Finally, Charles said, "Meet me back here at 7 o'clock. We'll try again."

Silver broke into a wide smile. "Of course!"

~o~o~

Silver spent the hours before her meeting with Charles coming up with new strategies to help with Charles' balance. If he was trying to walk normally, it would look rather odd that he was desperately clutching Silver's shoulder and stopping after every step. She was so lost in thought that when Silver finally checked her watch, it was 7:03. Cursing, she sprinted back to the Danger Room.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Professor. I lost track of time." Silver said as she rushed into the Danger Room, out of breath. "I have an idea for how to help with your balance."

She paused to catch her breath, waiting for Charles to ask what her idea was, but he didn't. After a moment, she straightened up.

"Professor?" she called, reaching out with her telekinesis to find the familiar wheelchair. But she found nothing. Maybe he had lost track of time, too. So Silver waited. But as several minutes passed, Silver knew that something was off. Charles was never late. Maybe he had forgotten? Starting to grow concerned, Silver left the Danger Room and went to Charles' office. The moment she stepped into the room, she knew something was wrong. It was cold, and a strong breeze was moving through the room. Moving carefully, Silver walked over to the window. It was open. In his wheelchair, Charles couldn't unlock the window. She turned to exit the room and search for someone who could help when her foot hit something. She felt her heart fall into her stomach. It was Charles' wheelchair. And it was empty. The open window, the empty wheelchair… the pieces clicked into place as another freezing gust blew through the room. Charles had been kidnapped.


End file.
